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Player ratings: Cruise control

Sat, 09 Nov 2013 16:59

Dominant in the first half, but let things slip somewhat after half-time

England were unconvincing in the second half, but still did enough to secure a 31-12 victory over Argentina at Twickenham.

The home side were dominant in the first half, but let things slip somewhat after half-time before a late try from Ben Morgan put the seal on their victory.

The platform was laid by their powerful tight five, as they kept the Pumas on the back foot in the tight and loose exchanges.

Although they faded a bit in the second half, they still did not concede a try in what was ultimately a comfortable win, their thord against the South Americans this year.

We rate the England players:

15 Mike Brown
Continued his great form, showing good composure at the back. He was solid under the high ball and looked convincing with the ball, spinning out of tackles and getting some good offloads away.8/10

14 Chris Ashton
Should have scored early on but was held up over the line, however he had no problem later to eventually get his try. His defence was exposed at times but it did not prove too costly.6/10

13 Joel Tomkins
Did the basics well and linked with his outside backs nicely. His defence was solid and showed a bit more confidence as he adjusts to Test rugby.6/10

12 Billy Twelvetrees
A huge improvement from last week against Australia. He was a rock on defence and used his power well to score his try.7/10

11 Ben Foden
His aerial skills came in handy and he looked for work, running good lines when he got the chance.7/10

10 Owen Farrell
Looked to spread the ball wide as often as possible but also showed that he can attack the line. His goal-kicking was much better in a more confident display.7/10

9 Lee Dickson
Provided some speedy service and urgency but made a few errors as well with a kick charged and a few handling errors.6/10

8 Billy Vunipola
A powerful game from the big loose forward who launched himself at the Pumas defence and got his team on the front foot along with some big hits.7/10

7 Chris Robshaw
Another hard-working performance from the skipper, but got outmuscled at the breakdown in the second half. Defensively sound and also came up with some neat passes.6/10

6 Tom Wood
A busy outing as he continues his encouraging form. Showed his value as a line-out option and got over the gainline consistently.7/10

5 Courtney Lawes
Solid in the line-outs and made an impact in the loose as well, with some big tackles and powerful drives. His discipline was not flawless but showed that he is maturing.7/10

4 Joe Launchbury
A big game for the hard-working lock who got a deserved try from a driving maul. He tackled his heart out and took the defence on as he got stuck into the Pumas.8/10

3 David Wilson
Put under pressure by Marcos Ayerza in the scrums, but showed his value by getting involved in the loose and hitting plenty of rucks.6/10

2 Dylan Hartley
A dominant performance from the hooker who mixed power with skill to get his side on the front foot. Got over the gainline consistently and his line-out throwing was accurate as well.8/10

1 Joe Marler
Came off at half-time, and was fairly quiet in his time on the pitch. Battled to assert himself in the scrums but got around the park well and worked hard in the loose.6/10

Replacements:

16 Tom Youngs(On for Hartley, 62 mins)
Added some energy but his line-out throwing continues to be erratic which let him down.5/10

17 Alex Corbisiero (On for Marler, 40 mins)
Showed his value as he made an obvious impact at scrum-time and imposed himself in the loose as well.
7/10

18 Dan Cole(On for Wilson, 62 mins)
Added some solidity to the scrum and also got through some good defensive work.7/10

19 Geoff Parling(On for Lawes, 55 mins)
A solid display, showing the encouraging depth that England have in the second row. Got in the Pumas' faces and reliable as ever in the line-outs.7/10

20 Ben Morgan (On for Vunipola, 55 mins)
Made some crunching tackles and did well to bust through and score his try.8/10

21 Danny Care(On for Dickson, 51 mins)
Injected some energy but did not get much opportunity as Argentina largely controlled possession in his time on the pitch.6/10

22 Toby Flood(On for Twelvetrees, 61 mins)
Slotted in at centre as a second playmaker and attacked the line well, coming up short of scoring a try under the poles and kicking well out of hand.7/10